Beijing National Stadium, 'The Bird's Nest' - Design Build Network The "bird's nest" alongside the Watercube. Beijing National Stadium, 'The Bird's Nest', China The £300m Beijing National Stadium, located at the south of the centrepiece Olympic Green, is a stunning landmark building, which staged the 2008 Olympic Games from 8 August to 24 August 2008. The opening and closing ceremonies and athletic track and field events of the 29th Olympiad took place at the stadium. It also hosted the Summer Paralympics from 6 September to 17 September 2008 and Race of Champions 2009. The stadium has a gross volume of three million cubic metres and is considered to be the world's largest enclosed space. It is also the world's largest steel structure with 26km of unwrapped steel used. The innovative structure was designed by Herzog & De Meuron Architekten, Arup Sport and the China Architecture Design and Research Group, and has been nicknamed the "bird's nest" due to the web of twisting steel sections that form the roof.

As well as designing a modern stadium, the team was challenged with creating a venue that was part of the culture of China and would put Beijing on the map. The 91,000-seat stadium was designed to incorporate elements of Chinese art and culture. The National Stadium's main structure is an enormous saddle-shaped elliptic steel structure weighing 42,000t. The stadium extends 333m from north to south and 294m from east to west, with a height of 69.2m. The stadium design included demountable seats of 11,000. "The £300m Beijing National Stadium is located at the south of the centrepiece Olympic Green." Beijing National Stadium structure and design The stadium has two independent structures, a red concrete seating bowl and the outer steel frame around it at a 50ft distance. As this was an Olympic venue, there were many standards that the design consortium had to conform to. Everything from the width of the track to the size and location of the long and high jump pits needed to satisfy the requirements set out by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF).

The architects and engineers also had to satisfy the requirements laid down by the National Stadium Company in order to create a bold, stand-out, world-class stadium and to design it with as much flexibility as possible for future use. The circular shape of the stadium represents heaven, but has been described as a bird's nest, with its pattern inspired by Chinese-style crazed pottery. A series of cantilevered trusses has been designed to support the roof, shading the seats. While designing the stadium, architects and engineers also ensured comfortable seats and optimum view for all spectators. Focus was also given to designing the stadium in such a way that it should be able to withstand earthquakes without much damage as the stadium is located in one of the world's most seismic zones. The concourses are wide and spacious for making the refreshment and merchandising stalls easily accessible. There is also a large mixed-use retail development beneath the stadium featuring shops, restaurants, cinemas, a health club and parking. The football field of the stadium with an area of 8,000m² provided enough space for the underground pipes of the geothermal heat pump (GHP) system, through which ground-source energy is collected.

In winter, the system absorbs the heat from the soil and helps heating the stadium, while in summer the coldness from the soil is stored which cools the stadium. Computational fluid dynamics (CDF) simulation based on the Games-time situation has been used to calculate the temperature and airflow speed at each angle of the structure and optimise all ventilation facilities accordingly. Finance The China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC) consortium, which raised 42% of the finance for the project in return for a 35-year tender after the Olympics were finished, comprises the CITIC Group, the Beijing Urban Construction Group, the Golden State Holding Group of the United States, and the CITIC Group affiliate Guoan Elstrong (a public, private partnership arrangement). The remaining 58% is funded by the Beijing Municipal Government and this has been entrusted to the Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co Ltd as the city government's representative. Beijing National Stadium contractors and construction Construction began on 23 December 2003 and was finished in early 2008. Beijing Mechanical Construction Company won the bid for earthwork and foundation treatment in November 2003 and work began almost immediately.

CITIC Internationals Contracting Inc was the major construction contractor. "The Beijing National Stadium has been nicknamed the 'bird's nest' due to the web of twisting steel sections that form the roof." Structural engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, fire safety engineering, acoustic design were the responsibility of Ove Arup & Partners. Beijing Urban Construction Group Co. Ltd (BUCG) organised the project along with China Architecture Design & Research Group. To minimise the formwork construction on the bowl, the design team used precast concrete. A terrace of L-shaped precast units spanning areas between the supporting reinforced concrete in situ beams will make up the section of the middle and upper tiers. The stadium is supported by 24 main columns of 1,000t each, far more than the weight of those in a conventional stadium and spaced in what appears to be a random pattern. The 3D steel roof spans a 330m-long by 220m-wide space. The geometry of the roof was worked out from a base ellipse of which the major axis measures 313m and the minor axis measures 266m.

The façade's external surface has an inclination of approximately 13° to the vertical. As China is highly vulnerable to earthquakes, the roof was separated from the seating bowl to help make the structure earthquake resistant. National Stadium 'Bird's Nest' architecture The team wanted an optimum balance between making sure every spectator had a good view, creating a good atmosphere and designing an elegant building. It also needed to be aware of the different uses of the stadium; for example, when used as an athletics stadium, the most important view is at the finish line of the running track but when used for football, the best views are at the centre line. Getting everyone close enough in such a big venue was a real challenge and getting the calculations right was an immense task. For example, changing the height of the first row of seating by just 100mm would make the stadium significantly larger and higher and increase the cost by several million pounds. To achieve the optimum design, the team relied heavily on parametric design software. This helped to work out the sightlines, the bowl geometry, airflow to keep the grass in good condition, seismic studies and the design of the external envelope.

While the surface of the structure is simple, the geometry is complex – the calculations were so numerous and complicated that they could not be solved manually. Software was needed to make sure that the web of twisting steel sections fitted together, as they have to twist and bend to follow the surface accurately. The main elements support each other and converge into a grid formation. The stand of the stadium is a seven-storey shear wall system with a concrete framework. The upper part of the stand and the stadium steel structure are actually separated from one another, but both of these are based on a joint foundation. The "nest" structure, however random it might look, follows the rules of geometry and contains 36km of unwrapped steel. The shape of the roof was inspired by yin yang, the Chinese philosophy of balance and harmony. "Construction began on the Beijing National Stadium on 23 December 2003 and was finished in early 2008." The roof is covered with a double-layer membrane structure, with a transparent ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) membrane fixed on the upper part of the roofing structure and a translucent PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) membrane fixed on its lower part.

A PTFE acoustic ceiling is also attached to the side walls of the inner ring. The spaces in the structure of the stadium are filled with inflated ETFE cushions. On the façade, the inflated cushions are mounted on the inside of the structure where necessary, to provide wind protection. Since all of the facilities – restaurants, suites, shops and restrooms – are all self-contained units, it is possible to do largely without a solid, enclosed façade. This allows natural ventilation of the stadium, which is the most important aspect of the stadium's sustainable design. To keep costs down, all the structural elements of the stadium are contained within it, so there are no towers or cable nets. The bowl of the structure is split into eight zones, each with its own stability system, making each zone effectively as its own building. Entrance to the stadium is controlled by tripod barriers supplied and fabricated by Kaba Gallenschütz of Germany. The project involved the installation of 138 of these units at the 12 entrances to the stadium.

Share Spazio Mondo - The Beijing National Stadium Spazio Mondo Olympic Editions The Beijing National Stadium There are many reasons to remember the 2008 Olympic Games, and one of these is undoubtedly the impressive events broadcasted to audiences around the world from the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, a building universally dubbed with the nickname "the Bird's Nest". IN SHORT Start date of construction: December 24, 2003 Cost of project: $423 million Structural engineering: Arup Capacity: 80,000/91,000 (2008 Olympic games) Download the complete Case History An architectural miracle The reason for the name immediately strikes the eye : an intricate system of ties and a complex steel structure makes the building look like a huge nest, that can hold up to 91,000 spectators and has one of the world's fastest athletic tracks. The history of this architectural miracle began with an annoucement issued on December 19, 2002. On March 26, 2003 a team of international experts examined the proposals coming from all over the world.

In April, the winner was announced: the swiss Herzog & De Meuron firm, which along with Arup Sport and the China Architecture Design & Research Group would deliver the full project in December 2007. Everything was perfect, up to the last details. On June 28, 2008 a grand opening ceremony drew the curtain on this colossal stage that would for about a month put the Chinese dragon under the worlds’ astonished eyes. The myth Creating a building of this magnitude was not an easy task. In China everything is a symbol and a reference to the past and the National Stadium in Beijing was no different. The circular shape of the building represents Heaven, and the intricate pattern was inspired by traditional Chinese “crazed” pottery, which tourists can buy in the Beijing markets. From a distance this building looks like a colossal ship, but also like an immense nest and in which our minds can imagine China as a large bird that has just taken flight. The architecture At the beginning the stadium was designed to accommodate 80,000 spectators.

Then the capacity was increased to 91,000 seatsout of which 11,000 were temporary placed on theterrace of the top floor in front of the restaurants. To build the stadium, it took 17,000 workers and 44,000 tons of steel for the structure that rises six floors above the ground. Because of Beijing’s geological characteristics, the stadium was also conceived to withstand major earthquakes and has become structurally even more secure since it was decided not to proceed with a roof because of its cost. "Our goal was to create an architectural building that could be utilized after the 2008 Olympics," said the Herzog & De Meuron architect. To further celebrate the work a film was produced that narrates all the stages of the stadium construction. The sport If the architectural study was important, we have to keep in mind that the Bird's Nest is first and foremost a stadium and that forathletes competing in the race what matters more than anything is their performance result. The track which runs rapidly under the athletes' feet was designed by Mondo.

Mondotrack FTX, is a highly innovative material, resulting from applied research and decades of knowledge gained in working with the eight previous Olympic Games.. This time to make things more complicated, there were two fundamental characteristics that the management of the Games had imposed. The final building had to be: Hi-Tech with a strong propensity for ecology, since the Beijing Olympics were the first in which there was talk of “green” Olympics. The final track met those requirements in full. The track is “hi-tech” because it was engineered according to the biomechanics principles and applied engineering. It is also “green” because it was made with environmentally friendly materials and a production cycle that respects the environment at every stage of production. The results The athletes' performances excited the whole world. On August 24th the Olympics came to an end, but the hearts were still warm. Lamine Diack, President of the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) excitedly stated: "The Beijing Olympic Games proved again why the IAAF has partnered with Mondo since 1987 and will continue to do so until 2019. Mondo stands for excellence in track surfaces, and we all marvelled at the achievements of the athletes.

In addition to the last nine Olympics, Mondo has provided tracks for numerous IAAF World Championships where more than 230 world records have been set, which is an amazing achievement. " Design of This Olympic Stadium Is Worth Remembering - The New York Times The New York Times Olympics |Olympic Stadium With a Design to Remember Search Credit Claro Cortes IV/Reuters BEIJING Given the astounding expectations piled upon the National Stadium, I’m surprised it hasn’t collapsed under the strain. More than 90,000 spectators will stream through its gates on Friday for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games; billions are expected to watch the fireworks on television. At the center of it all is this dazzling stadium, which is said to embody everything from China’s muscle-flexing nationalism to a newfound cultural sophistication. Expect to be overwhelmed. Designed by the Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, the stadium lives up to its aspiration as a global landmark. Its elliptical latticework shell, which has earned it the nickname the Bird’s Nest, has an intoxicating beauty that lingers in the imagination. Its allure is only likely to deepen once the enormous crowds disperse and the Olympic Games fade into memory.

Great architecture can never be fully conveyed through a television screen, of course, and it saddens me that so many Americans will experience the building only via satellite. In a site for mass gatherings, Herzog and de Meuron have carved out psychological space for the individual, and rethought the relationship between the solitary human and the crowd, the everyday and the heroic. However the structure attests to China’s nationalistic ambitions, it is also an aesthetic triumph that should cement the nation’s reputation as a place where bold, creative gambles are unfolding every day. Continue reading the main story Until now, the number of memorable Olympic stadiums could be counted on one hand. There is Berlin’s 1936 Olympic Stadium, by Werner March, with its imposing ring of stone columns, a symbol of fascism’s absolute disregard for the individual. In an intentional counterpoint, Günter Behnisch and Frei Otto designed transparent tentlike roof canopies for the 1972 Olympic Stadium in Munich, daring in their structural innovation. And there is the elegant ring of slender Y-shaped columns supporting Pier Luigi Nervi’s Palazzetto dello Sport, which was a minor venue at the 1960 Games in Rome.

Advertisement Continue reading the main story Herzog and de Meuron were chosen for the Beijing project partly on the strength of their design for the 2005 Allianz Arena in Munich. Clad in puffy, translucent panels made of a high-tech plastic, that arena’s doughnut-shaped form seems to swell from pressure within. (Herzog compares it to a boiling pot.) During sports events, it glows with energy: the hue of its translucent skin shifts from game to game with the colors of the teams. Inside, the steep pitch of the seats creates the impression that the 70,000 spectators are coiled tightly around the field. It’s a masterly way to choreograph the focused hysteria of a soccer match. But in Beijing, the architects were clearly striving for something more heroic. The centerpiece of a vast Olympic park in the northern reaches of Beijing, the stadium is raised on a mound of earth to give it a more monumental presence. Its matrix of crisscrossing columns and beams was conceived as a gargantuan work of public sculpture.

Viewed from a distance, the contrast between its bent steel columns and its bulging elliptical form gives the stadium a surreal, moody appearance, as if it were straining to contain the forces that are pushing and pulling it this way and that. Philosophically, it suggests the tensions just beneath the surface of a society in constant turmoil. Working with the engineering firm Arup Sport, the architects designed a series of cantilevered trusses to support the roof, which shades the seats. A secondary pattern of irregular crisscrossing beams is woven through this frame, creating the illusion of a gigantic web of rubber bands straining to hold the building in place. But the stadium’s exterior also sends other messages. Herzog and de Meuron came of age when architects had begun striving to break down the purity of late Modernism, which they saw as a kind of authoritarianism. By turning to asymmetrical forms and mysteriously translucent materials, they challenged that rigid, aesthetic ethos. Here, those values reveal themselves slowly as you circle the building. There is no crushing monumental axis leading into the stadium as there was in Berlin. From close up, the tilting beams suggest rather a dark and enchanted forest in a fairy tale.

Visitors filter into the Bird’s Nest from all sides. Upon reaching the ground-level concourse, they either spill down into the lower-level seats or climb slender stairways through the matrix of beams to the upper concourses. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The crisscrossing columns create a Piranesian world of dark corners and odd leftover spaces — an effect that intensifies as you ascend through the structure. Light filters through the translucent roof panels, and a network of drainpipes suspended from the roof adds a tough, utilitarian feel. The feverish play of light and shadows is reminiscent of the set for a German Expressionist film. From your seat, you gaze out at the surrounding skyline, where rows of generic housing towers seem to extend to eternity. The stadium can, in fact, be read as an attack on the mind-numbing conformity of such architecture. By creating a hierarchy of intimate spaces, Herzog and de Meuron allow for unexpected moments of privacy and solitude.

Their aim is to break down what the writer Elias Canetti, in his renowned study of crowds, described as “the closed ring from which nothing can escape.” This vision of the stadium as a gigantic social organism, rather than as a machine for mass hypnosis, is underscored by the architects’ plans for the building’s future. A vast shopping mall, demanded by the developer who collaborated on the project with the government, is buried beneath the stadium so that it will not disturb the serenity of the surrounding park. To reach it, shoppers will descend into the ground on broad ramps. By contrast, the architects want the stadium’s ground-level concourse to remain open to the park, allowing pedestrians to wander through the crisscrossing columns and gaze into the empty pit of the stadium. If the stadium ends up being as porous as the architects planned, the result will be the kind of recycled space haunted by memory. Think of the abandoned shell of the Roman Colosseum, parts of which were variously used as housing and workshops before Roman officials began serious restoration work in the early 19th century. Architectural history is littered with brilliant projects that were ultimately debased by clients who didn’t understand them — or understood them only too well.

The Chinese government has already threatened to build a fence around the stadium after the Games. And the developer is considering a plan to create a boutique hotel on the stadium’s upper-level concourse. If that goes forward, the stadium could gradually be swamped by consumerism. Nonetheless, amid the endless debate over the ethics of building in China, Herzog and de Meuron’s achievement is undeniable. Rather than offering us a reflection of China’s contemporary zeitgeist, they set out to create a sphere of resistance, and to gently redirect society’s course. The National Stadium reaffirms architecture’s civilizing role in a nation that, despite its outward confidence, is struggling to forge a new identity out of a maelstrom of inner conflict. A version of this review appears in print on , on Page D1 of the New York edition with the headline: Olympic Stadium With a Design To Remember. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) | Arup | A global firm of consulting engineers, designers, planners and project managers National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) Fast facts The building’s dynamic form creates a new icon for China and the city of Beijing.

Design ensures that all spectators are as close as possible to the action and have clear sight lines. Gross floor area 254,600m2 with seating capacity for 91,000 including 11,000 temporary seats. The Chinese National Stadium was the 2008 Olympic Games’ most striking structure, recognised all over the world. The building’s dynamic form and vast scale create a new icon for China and the city of Beijing. The circular shape of the stadium represents 'heaven', while the adjacent square form of the National Aquatics Center (Water Cube) , also design-engineered by Arup, is a reflection of the Chinese symbol for Earth. The structural form of the stadium is popularly described as a 'bird’s nest', with its pattern inspired by Chinese-style 'crazed pottery'. Seemingly random, the pattern abides by complex rules for which advanced geometry was defined. To ensure a compact and optimum design, the seating bowl was established first, with the outer façade wrapping around it. The design ensures that all spectators are as close as possible to the action and have clear sight lines.

As Beijing is located in one of the world’s most active seismic zones, Arup used advanced seismic analysis to test the stadium under various earthquake conditions and ensure that the structure can withstand major shocks. Share: Beijing National Stadium - China | Travel Innate Advertise With US Beijing National Stadium – China There is no possibility of denying the importance of Beijing National Stadium. Why one should not remember it as 2008 Olympic game was conducted at this stadium. Really it was undoubtedly the impressive events broadcasted to the audiences all around the world forum from the Olympic Beijing Stadium. Beijing National Stadium is also known as the Bird’s Nest. Beijing National Stadium facts It is Located at the Olympic Green. After hectic efforts and study the design of Stadium was originated from Chinese ceramics, which consisted of steel beams in order hide and support of retractable roof; it was given a look of Birds nest. Later on this stadium was also known as Bird’s Nest. Leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was the artistic consultant on the project. In the light of past experienced Olympic 2008, it is being planned for construction of the shopping mall and hotel to provide ease in conducting events like football and other game in the near future.

It was no doubt a joint venture among architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron of Herzog & de Meuron, artistically designed by Ai Weiwei, project architect Stefan Marbach and CADG which was led by chief architect Li Xinggang. Beijing National Stadium construction rare picture It has a gross volume of three million cubic meters and is believed to be the world’s largest enclosed space. You agree with it or not, but it is a fact that the stadium is of the world’s largest steel structure with 26km of unwrapped steel used. The 91,000-seat stadium was designed to incorporate elements of Chinese art and culture. The National Stadium’s main configuration of the structure is an enormous saddle-shaped elliptic steel structure weighing 42,000t. The stadium extends 333 meters from north to south and 294 meters from east to west, with a height of 69.2 meters. The stadium design included demountable seats of 11,000. Inter of its parameters we believe it has 330 meters long, 220 meters wide and 79.2 meters high.

It is spread over an area of 258,000 square meters, useable area is consist of 204,000 square meters, seating capacity is increased to 91,000 during high ranking game otherwise it is abridged to 80,000 spectators. Beijing National Stadium during construction Beijing National Stadium inside view Beijing National Stadium at night Beijing National Stadium celebrations Beijing National Stadium - Beijing Concert Venues Guide and Tickets Beijing National Stadium Reviews : Beijing National Stadium, also colloquially as Bird's Nest (Chinese Name : 国家体育场; 鸟巢), This huge stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Located in the Olympic Green, the US$423 million stadium is the world's largest steel structure. The stadium's design originally called for a capacity of 100,000 people; however 9,000 were removed during a simplification of the design. nowadays, the National Stadium host the large-scale sports tournament, concerts and otherwise after the Olympics.

What's on Stage Olympic Stadiums_Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development Official Website Olympic Stadiums 2012-08-03 The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece stadium of the Summer Olympic Games. Traditionally, the opening and closing ceremonies and the track and field competitions are held in the Olympic Stadium. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words Olympic Stadium as part of their name. The Winter Olympic Games do not have a central Olympic Stadium, however some edifices are designated as the Olympic Stadium, which usually hosts the opening and closing ceremonies. A number of stadiums have been used in more than one Olympics, in those cities that have held the Games twice. While only one (the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) has been the main stadium twice, both the Panathinaiko Stadio and the Vélodrome de Vincennes have hosted events at subsequent Olympics. The London Games of 2012 will not be opened and closed at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium, the site of the 1948 Olympic Stadium, but at a new stadium in Stratford. Wembley will however be the venue for some 2012 Olympic football matches.

Wembley will become the second stadium to have been used twice but only host one Olympics after the Melbourne Cricket Ground which was the venue in 1956 and hosted the first game of the Sydney 2000 football tournament. Olympic Stadium Beijing Beijing National Stadium, officially the National Stadium[5], also known as the Bird's Nest (鸟巢 Niǎocháo), is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and the Paralympics Games. Located in the Olympic Green, the stadium cost US$423 million. The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in April 2003 after a bidding process that included 13 final submissions. The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of a bird's nest. Leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was the artistic consultant on the project. The retractable roof was later removed from the design after inspiring the stadium's most recognizable aspect.

Ground was broken on 24 December 2003 and the stadium officially opened on 28 June 2008. A shopping mall and a hotel are planned to be constructed to increase use of the stadium, which has had trouble attracting events, football and otherwise, after the Olympics. 2008 Chinese Olympic Stadium Other Facts Current Tenants Beijing GuoAn FC Former Tenants 2008 Beijing Olympics Population Base 15,000,000 On Site Parking Unknown Nearest Airport Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) The eyes of the world will be on the National Stadium when it hosts the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Games. Home to the athletic track and field events, the Stadium sits in the Olympic Green and holds a massive 91,000 seats. The structure's vast scale and dramatic form have created a new icon for China and the City of Beijing. The circular form of the National Stadium represents Heaven, while the adjacent square form of the National Aquatics Centre, also design-engineered by Arup, is a reflection of the Chinese symbol for Earth.

The form of the National Stadium is popularly described as a 'bird's nest' with interwoven twigs and the pattern was also inspired by traditional Chinese 'crazed' pottery, found in Beijing markets. Although seemingly random, the pattern abides by complex rules imposed on the structure in order to be able to define the geometry. Without this, the National Stadium would have been impossible to build. To minimise the amount of materials used, the stadium was designed from the inside out. Firstly the seating was established and then the fa�ade was engineered to envelop the spectators. If unravelled, the steel tubes that form the structure would stretch 36 kilometres. Every one of the 7500 elements was designed individually. The National Stadium is located in one of the world's most seismic zones and needs to withstand major earthquakes without collapse or structural damage. Advanced computer analysis was used to test the structure under different strengths and direction of earthquake. The National Stadium combines a sense of chaos with one of order so that the spectator will be left wondering which aspects of the structure are functional and which have been included for appearance alone.

The £280m Beijing National Stadium is set to be a stunning landmark building for the staging of the 2008 Olympic Games (opening on 8 August and closing on 24 August 2008). The innovative structure was designed by Herzog & De Meuron Architekten, Arup Sport and the China Architecture Design & Research Group, and has been nicknamed the 'Bird's Nest' due to the web of twisting steel sections that form the roof. "The �280m Beijing National Stadium is set to be a stunning landmark building for the 2008 Olympic Games." As well as creating a modern stadium, the team was challenged with creating a venue that was part of the culture of China and that would put Beijing on the map. The 91,000-seat stadium was designed to incorporate elements of Chinese art and culture; one of the design team is a Chinese artist. When the Olympics are finished the seating capacity will be reduced to 80,000. The stadium is 333m long from north to south, 294m wide from east to west, and 69.2m tall.

WORK PROGRESS Construction work began on the stadium with earthworks and foundations in late 2003 and the main construction work started in March 2004. By August 2004 construction work had been halted due to the perceived high construction costs. The designers were asked to change the design to save money. In the new design, the roof of the stadium was omitted completely. However, many experts believe this made the stadium safer from seismic activity. However the omission of the roof has significantly reduced construction costs. As a result of the design changes the total consumption of steel in the main structure has been reduced by 22.3% from the original design. Also, because the hole in the top of the stadium is now enlarged, the total surface of its membrane structure has been reduced by 13%. The construction of the Olympic stadium resumed at the beginning of 2005; hence the adjustment from the original finishing date of 2006 to the start of 2008. The stadium was opened on 18 April 2008 (final work was completed in May 2008).

FINANCE The China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC) consortium, who raised 42% of the finance for the project in return for a 35-year tender after the Olympics are finished, comprises the CITIC Group, the Beijing Urban Construction Group, the Golden State Holding Group of the United States, and the CITIC Group affiliate Guoan Elstrong (a public, private partnership arrangement). The remaining 58% is funded by the Beijing municipal government and this has been entrusted to the Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co Ltd as the city government's representative. NATIONAL STADIUM DESIGN As this is an Olympic venue, there are many standards that the team have to conform to. Everything from the width of the track to the size and location of the long and high jump pits needs to satisfy the requirements set out by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF). The stadium also had to be designed for the Paralympics, which takes place after the Games.

"Construction work began on the Beijing national stadium with earthworks and foundations in late 2003." For this, the number of spaces for wheelchairs had to be increased considerably and put into various locations around the stadium, in both competitor and spectator areas. The main requirements from the client, the National Stadium Company, which was established by the Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co Ltd, and the CITIC Consortium, were to create a bold, stand-out, world-class stadium, and to design in as much flexibility as possible for future use. The stadium will host other sports such as football and events including concerts. One end of the stadium has amphitheatres that could be used to stage concerts once the grass is covered over. As well as getting the inside of the stadium right, the concourses and space around the stadium also had to be carefully thought out for future use. The concourses are very wide to allow people plenty of space to access the refreshment and merchandising stalls. This is integrated with a large mixed-use retail development under the plinth of the stadium, with shops, restaurants, cinemas, a health club and parking.

The new stadium could be home to the Beijing GuoAn football club that plays in the Chinese Super League after the 2008 summer Olympics are over. This move though has yet to be confirmed by the football club. CONTRACTORS AND CONSTRUCTION Construction began on 23 December 2003 and was finished in early 2008. Beijing Mechanical Construction Company won the bid for earthwork and foundation treatment in November 2003 and work began almost immediately. CITIC Internationals Contracting Inc was the major construction contractor. Structural engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, fire safety engineering, acoustic design are the responsibility of Ove Arup & Partners. Beijing Urban Construction Group Co. Ltd (BUCG) is managing the project along with China Architecture Design & Research Group. To minimise the formwork construction on the bowl, the design team have favoured the use of precast concrete. A terrace of L-shaped precast units spanning areas between the supporting reinforced concrete in situ beams will make up the section of the middle and upper tiers.

The stadium will be supported by 24 main columns of 1,000t each, which is far more than the weight of those in a conventional stadium and spaced in what appears to be a random pattern (construction has required 42,000t of steel). "As this is an Olympic venue, there are many standards that the team have to conform to." NATIONAL STADIUM ARCHITECTURE The team wanted to get an optimum balance between making sure every spectator had a good view, creating a good atmosphere and designing an elegant building. It also needed to be aware of the different uses of the stadium; for example, when used as an athletics stadium, the most important view is at the finish line of the running track but when used for football, the best views are at the centre line. Getting everyone close enough in such a big venue was a real challenge and getting the calculations right was an immense task. For example, changing the height of the first row of seating by just 100mm would make the stadium significantly larger and higher and increase the cost by several million pounds. To achieve the optimum design, the team relied heavily on parametric design software.

This helped to work out the sightlines, the bowl geometry, airflow to keep the grass in good condition, seismic studies and to design the external envelope. While the surface of the structure is simple, the geometry is complex - the calculations were so numerous and complicated that they could not be solved manually. Software was needed to make sure that the web of twisting steel sections fitted together, as they have to twist and bend to follow the surface accurately. The main elements support each other and converge into a grid formation. The stand of the stadium is a seven-storey shear wall system with a concrete framework. The upper part of the stand and the stadium steel structure are actually separated from one another, but both of these are based on a joint foundation. The roof is covered with a double-layer membrane structure, with a transparent ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) membrane fixed on the upper part of the roofing structure and a translucent PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) membrane fixed on its lower part. A PTFE acoustic ceiling is also attached to the side walls of the inner ring. The spaces in the structure of the stadium are to be filled with inflated ETFE cushions.

On the fa�ade, the inflated cushions are mounted on the inside of the structure where necessary, to provide wind protection. "The Beijing national stadium roof is covered with a double-layer membrane structure, with a transparent ETFE." Since all of the facilities – restaurants, suites, shops and restrooms – are all self-contained units, it is possible to do largely without a solid, enclosed facade. This allows natural ventilation of the stadium, which is the most important aspect of the stadium's sustainable design. To keep costs down, all the structural elements of the stadium are contained within it, so there are no towers or cable nets. The bowl of the structure is split into eight zones, each with its own stability system, making each zone effectively its own building. Entrance to the stadium will be controlled by tripod barriers supplied and fabricated by Kaba Gallensch�tz of Germany. The project has involved the installation of 138 of these units at the 12 ingresses of the stadium.

BIRD'S NEST STADIUM A DRAIN ON CHINA November 5, 2009 Nickname the landmarks: here they are … « Names « Glossophilia 3 Replies Each of these extraordinary architectural landmarks has been bestowed at some point in its history — either before, during or after its design and construction — with a colorful nickname. Clues to most of the nicknames lie in the resemblance of the building to a common household object — but not in every case … Answers (official building name or address, city, nickname, and origin of nickname if not immediately apparent) are below each picture. 1. The great bell of the clock (and usually the clock and the clock tower as well) at the north end of the Palace of Westminster (London) – Big Ben. Big Ben was most likely named after Sir Benjamin Hall, First Commissioner for Works, whose name is inscribed on the bell; or it might have been named after Ben Caunt, a champion heavyweight boxer. 2. Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral (Liverpool) – Paddy’s Wigwam 3. Clyde Auditorium (concert hall, Glasgow) – The Armadillo 4. Soccer City Stadium (Johannesburg) – The Calabash.

The Calabash was named after the African cooking pot, one of the inspirations for the stadium, and reflected the “melting pot” that is South Africa. 5. House of World Cultures (art museum, Berlin) – The Pregnant Oyster 6. Absolute World Building (Mississauga, Canada) – The Marilyn Monroe 7. Sydney Opera House (Sydney) – Nuns in a Scrum 8. MIT’s Simmons Hall (Boston) – The Sponge 9. Kaiser Wilhelm Church (rebuilt after WWII bombings in Berlin) – The Lipstick and Compact 10. Casa Mila (Barcelona) – The Quarry 11. Sydney Harbour Bridge (Sydney) – The Coathanger 12. Velodrome (London) – The Pringle 13. 30 St Mary Axe (London) – The Gherkin 14. 60-70 St Mary’s Axe (London) – Can of Ham 15. 20 Fenchurch Street (London) – Walkie-Talkie 16. 122 Leadenhall Street (London) – Cheese Grater 17.

Strata tower (London) – The Razor 18. The Shard in London was given its name because the English Heritage claimed the building would be “a shard of glass through the heart of historic London”. The Shard appears to be the official name of the building, not just its nickname, so this building should really be disqualified from this list. 19. St. John’s, Smith Square (London) – Queen Anne’s Footstool. According to Wikipedia: “As legend has it, when [Thomas] Archer was designing the church he asked the Queen what she wanted it to look like. She kicked over her footstool and said ‘Like that!’, giving rise to the building’s four corner towers.” 20. 175 Fifth Ave (New York) – The Flatiron 21. CBS building at 51 West 52nd St (New York) – Black Rock (for its dark-gray granite and dark tinted windows) 22. 209 South LaSalle St (Chicago) – Rookery Building.

The Rookery assumed same name as the building that it replaced: named for crows and pigeons that inhabited its exterior walls and for shady politicians it housed, given the rook’s reputation for being acquisitive. 23. CCTV media building (Beijing) – Hemorrhoid or Big Underpants 24. Frost Bank Building (Austin) – The Owl building. If you view the top of the tower from a corner, the two faces of the tower clock resemble owl eyes and the corner of the observation deck a beak. According to UT Austin legend, this was designed deliberately, as the tower’s architect was supposedly a graduate of Rice University, whose athletic mascot is an owl. The Owl’s architect was in fact Paul Cret, born in Lyon, France, who graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. 25. George Pompidou Centre (Paris) – The Cruise Liner 26. Stedelijk Museum’s new addition (Amsterdam) – The Bathtub 27.

Beijing National Stadium (Beijing) – The Bird’s Nest Niaochao National Stadium (Beijing, China): Top Tips Before You Go - TripAdvisor “Worth a photo - easy to get to by subway” Reviewed December 11, 2016 It's worth a photo of the stadium, though I didn't try to get in. The bird's nest and ice cube swimming are next to each other and look amazing from the outside. The train makes it very easy to get there and have a wander around. Helpful?

Question: What nickname was given to the Beijing National Stadium?
Answer: THE BIRD'S NEST